The City of Chestermere made an unprecedented move last week in requesting the annexation of a large swath of land in Rocky View County east of Calgary.

This would set a very troubling and dangerous precedent

“Chestermere’s sole purpose in making this absurd request is to freeze development in the area. This is a direct affront to property rights in Alberta, and if allowed to go through will most certainly reduce the value of property for our landowners and also drive taxes up for both County and Chestermere residents. Limiting competition between jurisdictions ultimately reduces choice and increases costs, which make our region as a whole less competitive in the world market, which is not good for Albertans,” said Rocky View 2020 Executive Director Bruce McAllister.

Chestermere’s Mayor has called the growth in Rocky View County unsustainable. “The real irony here is it’s the growth in Chestermere that is unsustainable, adds McAllister. Chestermerians pay among the highest property taxes in the Province and while Rocky View County has worked to diversify its tax base thereby reducing the tax burden on residents, Chestermere has done the opposite. Chestermere’s Mayor and long term Councilors could have and should have been encouraging light industrial and commercial growth, but instead have been in a race to stack and pack housing at an alarming rate. A whopping 95% of taxes collected in Chestermere come from the pockets of residents and the reality is, this is what’s unsustainable.”

This would set a very troubling and dangerous precedent for municipal relations in the Province, which is the last thing that should be happening with the Province announcing regional growth management board talks are set to begin in January. The AAMDC (Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties) is likely to be watching this very closely.

Rocky View 2020 is urging the Minister of Municipal Affairs to intervene and dismiss this request.